High levels of butadiene, ethylene oxide and other toxic chemicals in the air contributed to the poor rating at Groves Middle School, according to the USA Today Web site.

Port Neches-Groves High School, ranked in the sixth percentile, was surrounded by much pollution in the mid-1980s, according to the report. Twenty-seven graduates sued the chemical plants surrounding the school after being diagnosed with cancer, the reports says. Seventeen cases were settled out of court and 10 complaints are pending.

USA Today used a mathematical model developed by the Environmental Protection Agency to estimate the quantity and distribution of toxic chemicals nationwide.